


A Memory Like That

by justbygrace



Series: Inspired by Songs [5]
Category: Doctor Who (2005)
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-05
Updated: 2016-09-05
Packaged: 2018-08-13 07:35:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7968064
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justbygrace/pseuds/justbygrace
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"And a heart don't forget something like that"<br/>Tim McGraw 'Something Like That'</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Memory Like That

**Author's Note:**

> Trying to organize my stories so they are easier to find. I'm re-uploading a few.

If there was one place on earth that John Noble did not want to be, it was at the 4th of July carnival. His parents had died in a house fire two years earlier and the seventeen year old had been shipped off to America until he was of age. Most of the time he didn't mind so much, he genuinely liked his cousin, Jack - the two boys were about the same age and had fantastic adventures, but the American culture was very different than what he was used to and nothing was quite so American as the fourth of July celebration. Jack had a reputation with the ladies (and the boys) and had been last seen mediating between three of his "dalliances" and John knew he was unlikely to reappear for some time and when he did, he would likely be full of stories about foursomes.

John sighed deeply as he stood in line for his ticket. It was promising to be a long, boring, and very hot Texas afternoon and he idly wondered if it would be worth it to stir up a little trouble, nothing major just something to break up the monotony of flags and whiny children and deep fried everything. His thoughts were interrupted when he caught sight of a girl several people in front of him. She was wearing a red mini skirt and it was her long, tanned legs and flowing blonde hair that captured his gaze. He rocked back on his heels and enjoyed the view of her backside. Unlike Jack, John was not overly endowed with girlfriends. American girls seemed to like his accent, but he was somewhat shy and awkward, with an unnatural love of science and a knack for getting in trouble. The type of girls who went for a bloke like him weren't the sort that John was interested in. Despite his good looks and fantastic hair (if he did say so himself), he had yet to have a first kiss, something Jack gave him hell for on a regular basis.

He kept his eye on the girl as she paid for her ticket, noting that she seemed to be alone and looked a little lost. He smiled, approaching her with what he hoped was a suave and practiced gesture of friendliness, though he had a feeling it didn't quite come across right. She raised an eyebrow at him, but smiled genially, introducing herself as Rose Tyler. He was absolutely delighted to find that she was also from London and they fell into an easy conversation, comparing and contrasting the two countries and making fun of American idiosyncrasies. It turned out that she was here visiting a friend who had a summer home in Texas, but her friend had ditched her for "some fit American bloke." John had a distinct feeling it was Jack and did his best to ignore the flare of jealousy at Rose's description.

The two of them continued to wander around the fair together, amiably chatting and entertaining themselves by counting how many people were wearing flags of some sort. John was determined to prove that he was better than Jack and tried his hand at several of the games. He managed to win a giant teddy bear at the ring toss and presented it to Rose with a flourish. She shook her head at him but accepted the over-sized creature and linked one of her arms through his, so John counted it as a major win. He was less successful with the other games, but she seemed to appreciate his efforts and when she won a rubber duck for him at the fishing pond, he pocketed it with a bashful smile. Eventually their wanderings led them to the food and John was about to offer to buy her lunch when he realized he'd already spent just about everything on the games. She grinned up at him saying something about him being a lousy date, but a hint of her tongue was peeking out from between her teeth and he barely heard her.

They settled on a hot dog apiece and he spilled mustard on his white shirt because the way she ate hers should have been illegal and was making it very hard to concentrate on anything so mundane as eating or breathing. Afterwards, they wandered to the outskirts of the fair where the booths were set against the railroad tracks. They made their way down the tracks, balancing on the rails, holding hands, and singing 'God Save the Queen' at the top of their lungs, much to the annoyance of the staunch Texans. When John felt the tell-tale rumblings of an oncoming train, he grabbed a coin out of his pocket and set it on the rails. They braced themselves against the wind from the train, waving ferociously at the passengers. Afterwards, John retrieved the coin, and dropping to his knees, he offered it to Rose. Her blush was a beautiful thing to see and he swore he would see it again and often.

Eventually they wandered to the rides, making themselves dizzy with the swings and the gravity-defying coasters. They had just exited from the bumper cars when they met up with Jack who, sure enough, was wandering with Rose's friend, Gwen. The four of them continued on together and John was gratified when Rose slipped her hand in his and he gave Jack a triumphant look, which unfortunately was wasted as Jack was attempting to impress Gwen by walking on his hands. As the afternoon turned to evening, they all took turns sneaking drinks from Jack's flask, the burn of the alcohol invoking a pleasant haze around the edges and making everyone more daring. Jack and Gwen were openly hanging on each other, taking every opportunity to snog obnoxiously. Rose made no attempts to mimic Gwen's behavior, but she did have her hand securely interlocked with his and was walking as close to him as she could.

When it was dark, Jack and Gwen made some vague excuses and vanished, no doubt to horrify some carnival attendant with a quick shag in some quiet corner. John rolled his eyes and asked Rose if she wanted to watch the fireworks from the Ferris wheel. She readily agreed and the two buckled themselves securely in a cart, enjoying the best seat in the house for the bursts of color. The attendant must have been a kind soul for he gave John a wink when he saw them and paused the ride while the two of them were at the top. There with the spots of light and noise surrounding them, Rose leaned in to kiss him and he reciprocated enthusiastically, if a bit messily. It was awkward and their teeth clicked and their noses bumped, but John thought it was the most perfect first kiss that ever was. He took several more opportunities to practice his technique before the lights dimmed and the carnival shut down for the night.

At the gate, Rose paused and then blurted out that she was returning to England in the morning. John didn't know what to say, he'd hoped to have at least the rest of the summer with her. He wrapped his arms around her, memorizing the feel of her body against his, and promised that he would keep in touch. She kissed him again, all tongue and breathy noises, with her hands in his hair and his hands firmly on her hips. When they broke apart, Jack and Gwen had magically reappeared and Rose gave him one last look before disappearing into the night. Jack, for once in his life, said nothing at all.

 

It was five years later, and John Noble was buckling himself into his seat on the southbound plane, dreading things like conferences and rubbing shoulders with important people. He didn't want to deal with theorists who thought they knew it all and analysts who thought they did and he'd never hated his job as much as he did right at that moment. It was going to be a very long weekend. He was startled from his thoughts by the sound of his name and he glanced up, vaguely wondering with what acquaintance he was going to be cursed sharing a flight. His mouth dropped open when he saw who it was. It was her! Rose Tyler. Same blonde hair, though shorter now, same long tanned legs, same tongue-touched smile. He gaped up at her, hardly daring to believe his eyes. They had attempted the whole contact thing, but separate continents and his nomadic lifestyle had made that nearly impossible and he had lost contact with her before the end of that year.

She was speaking words to him and he forced himself to actually listen to her instead of staring at her dumbly. He tuned in just in time to hear her say that she bet he didn't remember her and his jaw dropped open again. He hastened to reassure that he did remember her, all the time, she was impossible to forget. She blushed and glanced away and he suddenly remembered his long ago promise to make that happen as often as possible.

It didn't take much convincing to get his seatmate to switch seats with her and when they were suddenly shoulder to shoulder, he found he could hardly stop staring at her, cataloging the differences in her, appreciating the things that had remained the same. They talked over each other in their haste to catch each other up on the things that had happened in the intervening years. John was on pins and needles until Rose casually mentioned that she was single, at which point he allowed himself to relax and be his usual charming self, well, at least not the awkward teenage self he had been last time. He was elated to discover she was also flying in for a conference in the city and would be staying at the same hotel and when she shyly pulled out that coin he'd flattened for her, he could do nothing but stare at her in astonishment.

As he followed her through the airport, it seemed like the most natural thing in the world to catch her hand, loving the feeling of her fingers sliding between his like they'd been holding hands for years. She grinned up at him, the peek of her tongue making him stumble slightly on the carpet, and her grin only grew larger. It was his turn to blush and avert his gaze, aware that her grin had morphed into a chuckle.

That night he discovered the feel of her skin flush against his, his tongue making her scream and her mouth making him a believer. He spared a thought to his seventeen year old self and almost wished he could go back and thank himself for having the courage to approach this amazing woman. Afterwards when they were sweaty and sated, her head on his chest, he threaded his fingers through hers, gripping her tightly, and silently promising not to let go this time.


End file.
